Reflection 23 of 52: Can you leave them feeling better?
June 09, 2014
While I have enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's books, especially The Tipping Point, they always leave me wondering what to do with the information he imparts. However, that was not a deterrent from seizing the opportunity to hear him speak.
After watching him via video, I knew what to expect. A low key presentation with a historical analogy. I attend speeches for a variety of reasons, one is to learn about a speaker's style and which bits resonate with the audience. I know Mr. Gladwell brings a celebrity factor to certain groups such as the one I attended, which was full of marketing types. And, he definitely makes you walk away feeling like he is smart. That was true of this speech.
He said he would focus on transformation as we were in the midst of such massive change in the marketing world. His main story was about Malcom McLean, the low profile man who made shipping containers a reality. Through that story he highlighted many examples of transformative thinking. From finding a logging company that could build the cranes he needed, to convincing union members to join his cause, this McLean fellow was tenacious as well as disagreeable. Points that Mr. Gladwell wanted to impart. From the tweets and articles covering this speech and from previous talks, those appear to be the main take-aways.
Knowing Mr. Gladwell's style, I was determined to find my own practical applications of his wisdom. As I am always listening from a communications perspective, I thought the other Malcom must have been a compelling communicator, given his great achievements. So, I went in search of additional information on the "Father of Containerization". Not only was he given that moniker even though others had come up with the concept before, he was also named man of the century by the International Maritime Hall of Fame. He was touted as one of the richest men in 1982 (he died in 2001) until he gambled on oil prices and filed for Chapter 11 shortly after... owing 1.3 billion. Learning from failure is also a theme I am hearing more of these days.
It was reported that he hated the telephone and preferred face to face conversations, where he could look you in the eye. I have searched high and low and cannot find any video footage to get a direct sense of his style. He also shunned publicity. How could this man get people to do what many had tried before in the face of adversity? Gladwell claims it was due to a disagreeable nature but I expect he also had a great capacity to inspire others to embrace change. I just cannot find any evidence to support my theory. I so wish Gladwell would add a few practical, applicable examples to his ideas. Perhaps there is merit in the critics who claim his "hindsight bias" and "use of research" to augment his stories have a point. With his vast following and huge influence, should we expect more?
So Mr. Gladwell, with the greatest amount of respect, I implore you to take your work to another level and give a bit more guidance on how to incorporate your wisdom into our lives. Otherwise, you may have just sent 2,000 marketers off thinking they should be more determinedly, disagreeable... without any further insights on the "how" to be transformative.
So in the words of the recently departed Maya Angelou, "People will forget what you said, people will forget about what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel". Mr. Gladwell, for your (rumored) $150,000 fee, I think you could have left me feeling better.
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